


breakable

by DragonCarnation



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair, Depression, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-16
Updated: 2017-05-16
Packaged: 2018-11-01 08:59:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10918584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonCarnation/pseuds/DragonCarnation
Summary: Kaede doesn't feel well.





	breakable

**Author's Note:**

> haha i'm self projecting so hard in this HHHHHHHHH

It wasn’t like Kaede to be so down, everyone thought. It wasn’t like her to hole up in her room, to reject all visitors and support, to say nothing but “Please leave me alone” when asked for. Nobody knew what to do. Kaede was the glue that held the group together and supported them when they needed her. She was important to them, and though they wished to know what was wrong, she refused to let anything important slip through the cracks.

Multiple attempts were made to lure her out of her locked room. Saihara was the first to give it a try, being earnest and straightforward. “Akamatsu-san,” he said, “Everyone is worried about you. Can you tell us what’s wrong?”

“No thanks,” replied Kaede.

Saihara asked many more times and in many different ways, but each attempt resulted in failure and silence. Eventually, he was forced to give up and leave.

The next person to make an attempt was Tenko. “Akamatsu-san! Tenko is serious when she says that everyone needs you right now! Will you please come out?”

“No, they don’t. Please leave me alone.”

“Tenko is not leaving until you at least open the door and let her see you!”

“You’ll be standing there for a very long time, then.”

Tenko stood for hours and hours, eventually falling asleep and being dragged back to her own room by Himiko and Angie.

Eventually, that night, Tsumugi decided to give Kaede a visit. Nervously, she knocked on the door and spoke.

“Akamatsu-san, sorry if I’m bothering you, but... If you want, I’d like to do something with you? Not right now if you’re tired, but sometime soon...”

It took a long few minutes for Kaede to respond.

“Why would you want to do anything with me? I don’t get it. Please leave.”

Tsumugi anxiously stayed for a moment before running off, trying to hold back the rage that she felt for not being able to help.

Many more attempts to coerce her into telling her friends what was wrong were made, and all of them failed. It went on for days. Nothing seemed to be working or even making a dent. Even Ouma seemed to be concerned at this point. It just seemed... hopeless.

Nearly everyone seemed to have accepted that there was nothing to be done. However, just as Tsumugi was passing by Kaede’s room again, she suddenly heard a quiet cry. A seemingly desperate plea for help subdued by despair. Tsumugi quickly turned around and knocked on the door. There were heavy footsteps followed by a click of a lock undoing itself. Quietly, Tsumugi walked into the room.

Nothing appeared to be out of place. Everything was exactly where it should be, undisturbed and in okay condition. Kaede’s bed, however, was very obviously lived in. Blankets and pillows were scattered nearby, some on the bed, some on the floor. What was horrifying to Tsumugi was not any of this, but rather, Kaede’s appearance.

Her hair was clearly disheveled, having not been brushed in days. She was wearing her pajamas, which looked somewhat messy. The skin around her eyes had very clearly been rubbed many times, and her cheeks looked as if they were burning up. She was sitting on her bed, gently looking between Tsumugi and the wall.

Tsumugi sat down by her friend, concerned. “Hey... Akamatsu-san, you really... don’t look so good. If there’s anything I can do to help, then...”

Tears formed in Kaede’s eyes. “You shouldn’t be helping me... I should be... helping everyone else...” She rubbed her eyes, wincing a bit from the pain. She placed her hand on Tsumugi’s and turned to her. “Like Amami-kun said... I’m the leader, aren’t I? So... I shouldn’t be like this... I need to live up to everyone’s expectations, right?”

“Akamatsu-san... I’m sorry. I should have noticed that you were feeling this way sooner...” Tsumugi softly held Kaede’s hand. “If you really are feeling overwhelmed, then you should tell everyone.”

“But they need me! They need me to solve all of their problems! That’s all that I’m ever good for now!” The pianist wailed, falling onto Tsumugi’s lap. The cosplayer gave Kaede comfort, muttering phrases and words to help ease the pain as Kaede continued to cry.

Kaede eventually stopped sniveling, and curled up around Tsumugi. “I... I just wish that I could turn to someone for my own problems... but I have to be strong. I have to be everyone’s ray of hope... I just... want people to recognize that even I have a breaking point sometimes... I’m not just an emotional shoulder for everyone to lean on all the time. I have feelings, too...”

“...It must have taken a lot of courage to say that...” Tsumugi began. “I’m sorry that I didn’t notice sooner, and I’m sorry that we all were only focused on our own emotions. We should have considered you, too...” She hugged her friend. “If... if you ever need someone to lean on, then... I can be your shoulder.”

Kaede looked up at Tsumugi melancholically. “...That... would be nice.” About to pass out in her friend’s lap, she said one more thing.

“...Thank you so much.”


End file.
